Rusty and dusty was Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy's description of fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen's return to the NRL - but that's what he expected. In his first game since round 10 on Friday, the Storm eased their star fullback into the NRL with a 34-minute display in their grinding 20-16 win over North Queensland. But Bellamy understands the hurdles the 23-year-old has overcome in his battle back to full fitness. "It's been a difficult nine weeks for him, not just physically or getting ready for it, but also emotionally and and mentally," Bellamy said. "The early weeks, it didn't look like he was making it much improvement at all but the last two or three weeks he's really brightened up. "We're (just) really happy now that he's made that start." "It felt like the first few games I played in the NRL, just coming off the bench," he told. "It was good to get that little 30 minutes in and to sort of get a feel for what it's all like again. "The whole week I wasn't really nervous or excited or anything really. It was just about sort of getting back and doing my job and hoping I could get through."
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